Synopses & Reviews
One reality of today’s classrooms is the scarcity of materials available to teachers trying to support English learners’ literacy development. The educators and researchers who developed Words Their Way ® with English Learners, a phenomenon in word study, understand this challenge. The cornerstone of the Words Their Way ® approach to word study is the examination of the word knowledge students bring with them to instruction, building language and literacy competence naturally on that foundation.
This approach is especially valuable for English learners, and this text is a companion piece of the series focusing on the specific needs of Spanish speakers. It provides you with the reproducible sorts and step-by-step directions you’ll need to guide students through each sorting lesson. The week-by-week curriculum provided in this text will complement the use of any existing phonics, spelling, and reading curricula.
Word study is a powerful instructional method for teachers and their English-learning students. Empower your students to grasp their new language at the word level, build skills to understand how English differs from Spanish, and develop the skills to explore word meaning through spelling.
Who are Letter-Name Alphabetic learners?
- Kindergarteners to early third graders, as well as older newcomers to English who are at the beginning stage of reading
How does word study help these learners develop English language proficiency?
- By building on students’ vocabularies in Spanish and the letter sounds that are common to both English and Spanish
- By starting with the most common and high-utility English words
- By teaching vocabulary through pictures and word-picture matching
- By providing opportunities to explicitly compare and work with sounds in English that may require extra help for Spanish speakers
What does Words Their Way ® Letter Name-Alphabetic Sorts for Spanish-Speaking English Learners provide to guide students toward this proficiency?
- Notes for Teachers
- Standardized Weekly Routines
- Literature Connections
- Assessments
- Reproducible word cards and picture cards to get your students underway
Review
What does the field have to say?
This text is an addition to a well-known and highly successful series. The research base is well documented and the teaching strategies are classroom proven. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Patricia Kelly, Virginia Tech
I was very excited when I saw the title of the book, and even more interested as I looked through it. I think this is a valuable addition.
Marsha Riddle Buly
Western Washington University
Synopsis
Words Their Way® : Letter-Name Alphabetic Sorts for Spanish Speaking English Learners a new text providing strategic assistance for teachers working with native Spanish speakers. Based on the same solid research and using the same scope and sequence laid out in Words Their Way® with English Learners, this companion volume begins with a series of picture concept sorts that teach students how to sort, providing guidance to help teachers make sorting meaningful. The text develops a routine for introducing the English vocabulary, helping students learn the vocabulary before they sort.
The words for study are selected based on their phonetic properties as well as their usefulness in reading, speaking and understanding grade level content. The text addresses the needs of the letter name-alphabetic speller, whether young or not so young. The text is careful to include sorts more appropriate for older learners, as well as advanced EL students needing more concept and vocabulary support.
Synopsis
Words Their Way(R) Letter-Name Alphabetic Sorts for Spanish Speaking English Learners a new text providing strategic assistance for teachers working with native Spanish speakers. Based on the same solid research and using the same scope and sequence laid out in
Words Their Way(R) with English Learners, this companion volume begins with a series of picture concept sorts that teach students how to sort, providing guidance to help teachers make sorting meaningful. The text develops a routine for introducing the English vocabulary, helping students learn the vocabulary before they sort.
The words for study are selected based on their phonetic properties as well as their usefulness in reading, speaking and understanding grade level content. The text addresses the needs of the letter name-alphabetic speller, whether young or not so young. The text is careful to include sorts more appropriate for older learners, as well as advanced EL students needing more concept and vocabulary support.
Synopsis
This new book provides strategic assistance for teachers working with native Spanish speakers that is based on the same solid research as
Words Their Way(R) with English Learners.
KEY TOPICS: This companion volume begins with a series of picture concept sorts that teach students how to sort, providing guidance to help teachers make sorting meaningful. The book develops a routine for introducing the English vocabulary, helping students learn the vocabulary before they sort.
MARKET: Addresses the needs of the letter name-alphabetic speller, whether young or not so young. The text is careful to include sorts more appropriate for older learners, as well as advanced EL students needing more concept and vocabulary support.
Synopsis
Words Their Way ™ : Letter-Name Alphabetic Sorts for Spanish Speaking English Learners a new text providing strategic assistance for teachers working with native Spanish speakers. Based on the same solid research and using the same scope and sequence laid out in Words Their Way with English Learners, this companion volume begins with a series of picture concept sorts that teach students how to sort, providing guidance to help teachers make sorting meaningful. The text develops a routine for introducing the English vocabulary, helping students learn the vocabulary before they sort.
The words for study are selected based on their phonetic properties as well as their usefulness in reading, speaking and understanding grade level content. The text addresses the needs of the letter name-alphabetic speller, whether young or not so young. The text is careful to include sorts more appropriate for older learners, as well as advanced EL students needing more concept and vocabulary support.
Synopsis
Providing strategic assistance for teachers working with native Spanish speakers, this text helps teachers to develop a routine for introducing the English vocabulary that will help students learn the vocabulary before they sort.
About the Author
Lori Helman
Loriis associate professor in literacy education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota. Her research and writing have focused extensively on the reading and spelling development of students learning English as a new language, including other Words Their Way ® instructional materials for English learners. She has also edited a text for teachers, Literacy Development with English Learners.
Donald R. Bear
Donald is director of the E. L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy where he and preservice, Master’s and doctoral students teach and assess children who struggle to learn to read and write. Donald is a professor in the Department of Educational Specialties in the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. Donald has been a classroom teacher and he researches and writes about literacy development and instruction. He is an author of numerous articles, book chapters, and books, including Words Their Way ®, Words Their Way ® with English Learners, and Vocabulary Their Way.
Marcia Invernizzi
Marcia Invernizzi is Director of the McGuffey Reading Center at the University of Virginia exploring developmental universals in non-English orthographies. A former English and reading teacher, Marcia works with children experiencing difficulties learning to read and write in intervention programs such as Virginia’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative and Book Buddies.
Shane Templeton
Shane Templetonis Foundation Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. A former classroom teacher at the primary and secondary levels, he researches the development of orthographic and vocabulary knowledge
Francine Johnston
Francine Johnston is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she teaches reading, language arts, and children’s literature. A former first-grade teacher and reading specialist.
Table of Contents
Sorts 1-5: Concept Sorts for Vocabulary Development
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Concept Sorts
Sorts 1-5 Concept Sorts for Vocabulary Development
Assessment of Concept Sorts
Sorts 6-9: Beginning Consonant Sounds that are Similar in English and Spanish
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Similar Initial Consonant Sound Sorts
Sorts 6-9
Spell Check 1
Sorts 10-13: Beginning Consonant Sounds that are Distinct in Spanish and English
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Distinct Initial Consonant Sound Sorts
Sorts 10-13
Spell Check 2
Sorts 14-18: Beginning Consonant Sound Contrasts
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Contrasting Problematic Initial Consonant Sound Sorts
Sorts 14-18
Spell Check 3
Sorts 19-34: Beginning Consonant Digraphs and Blends
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Initial Digraphs and Blends Sorts
Sorts 19-34
Spell Checks 4 and 5
Sorts 35-38: Listening for Ending Sounds
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Final Sound Sorts
Sorts 35-38
Spell Check 6
Sorts 39-43: Vowel Sounds Picture Sorts
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Vowel Sound Picture Sorts
Sorts 39-43
Assessment of Vowel Sounds
Sorts 44-58: Same-Vowel Word Families with Pictures
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Same Vowel Word Families
Sorts 44-58
Spell Checks 7 and 8
Sorts 59-63: Mixed Vowel Word Families
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Mixed Short Vowel Word Families
Sorts 59-63
Spell Check 9
Sorts 64-67: Ending Sounds
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Contrasting Final Sounds
Sorts 64-67
Spell Check 10
Sorts 68-72: Short Vowels in CVC Words
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Short Vowels in CVC Words
Sorts 68-72
Spell Check 11
Sorts 73-77: Beginning Digraphs and Blends in CVC Words
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Initial Digraphs and Blends
Sorts 73-77
Spell Check 12
Sorts 78-81: Ending Digraphs and Blends in CVC Words
Notes for the Teacher
Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Final Digraphs and Blends
Sorts 78-81
Spell Check 13